An Honoured Promise
by leafyaki
Summary: In a trio friendship, there is inevitably a skew of balance. Goofy-centric.


**Title**: An Honoured Promise  
**Fandom**: Kingdom Hearts  
**Pairings/Characters**: Goofy  
**Genre**: Gen  
**Rating**: PG  
**Notes**: This actually started out just as I was observing my brother play the game, and then I started to think about Sora, Donald and Goofy. I recalled talking with my brother about how Goofy is more sensitive than the other two, and then also about how Sora and Donald often squabbled, yet remained good friends. One thought led to another, and this was produced as an effort in studying Goofy.  
**Warnings**: Uh...unbeta-ed? Oh, also, I do not know about the original Disney Goofy, so this is based solely on Kingdom Hearts Goofy.

* * *

Sometimes, Queen Minnie asks gently, do you feel lonely? And Goofy smiles back charmingly.

Sometimes, Sora breaks apart from his squabbles with Donald and bounds over to him, all puppyish enthusiasm, and asks are you alright, Goofy? Goofy nods and laughs and separates the quarrelsome pair.

Sometimes, King Mickey approaches a daydreaming Goofy smiling up into the wide blue sky, and he sits beside him and doesn't speak. And Goofy smiles at him, too, and raises his eyes back to the clouds.

Sometimes, Donald squawks in indignation when Chip and Dale scurries away with the last of his chips, before his warble softens and he looks at Goofy with worried eyes, not knowing or understanding why his happy friend is so silent.

.

Goofy supposes it is a natural progression of friendship.

In a trio, inevitably, there is a skew of balance from a carefully constructed and unbreached equality at the beginning, members tiptoeing and breathing carefully, lest the illusion breaks down and falls around them, leaving them peering around, hands clenching and gripping at their sides as they wonder what to do now, what can one do now, who to sacrifice, eyes pointed towards one person, another person. Goofy is glad, then, that the skew has already been addressed and done with.

He knows, because when Sora and Donald argue loudly and cheerfully with each other, they don't look behind to see if he is following. He knows because automatically, they band together and look at him for the answers, he the parent while they two the young rowdy children without the weight of responsibility on their shoulders.

He knows and yet sometimes, he wonders if he minds.

He supposes he does. Some words of Yen Sid, about natural feelings, and letting them out, or some psychological advice like those. Well meant but not well understood.

King Mickey is perhaps the kindest of them. He doesn't pry, he doesn't pretend to understand. God knows he has Minnie, and he's happy with her, and as long as his guards are loyal and his kingdom is happy, then he can worry about his papers and issues and laws. Goofy is happy enough, he thinks, that Mickey sits with him and ponders the shape clouds take.

Riku can't understand. The skew has always, always been in his favour.

.

Goofy has never pretended to want to be in their bubble. He has never pretended to not be jealous. He doesn't have to. They have a bubble he does not dare to pop. They don't notice.

.

Goofy had died before. When that boulder crashed into him, he had fainted from the shock and when he woke up, and Donald ran at him and cried, and King Mickey's shoulders slumped in relief, he wanted to shout and cry, but why, you haven't before, why now, it takes me nearly, nearly…

He just hugs them and assures them he's alright. Then, they turn to the heartless again, attentions turned towards an immediate problem.

.

When they wait for Sora and Riku, and the sun sets slowly into brilliant, salty blue, Kairi turns towards them. She sits a distance away and watches them. She begins to trace her finger in the sand, slowly, awkwardly. She peers at them from under her fringe.

Goofy feels some sort of affinity for her. The type of affinity that lasts but for a short while, because of one common interest, and that fades away quickly when both parties find nothing else to talk about. But somehow, he knows too, that Donald and King Mickey need him now, and his loyalty has to manage them first, before Sora and Riku come and relieve him of…

Sora comes crashing through the water at that moment, and he stands, prepared to join in the euphoria of reunion.

.

When Sora and Donald walk down the path, squabbling, Goofy stops and looks at them from beneath the wide expanse of blue sky.

Their sound carries over easily. Hardly any wind today, lots of road ahead of them. Donald and Sora, arguing over what to have for dinner. Or where to stop for sleep. Or bathing order. Or...well, they know he is easygoing on whatever they chose, so they didn't have to ask him, did they.

He looks. They are going full flow now, over the crest of the little hill, and he can no longer see them.

He listens. Their sound grows slightly fainter. And still fainter. He stares at the small crest, and the blue skies above him, carelessly happy, beaming, all is right with the world, no clouds. He can no longer hear them.

He follows.


End file.
